Truly Helen Keller was a brilliant and inspirational human being. From an unintelligible deaf and blind child, Helen grew into a highly intelligent and influential woman who positively changed the lives of many of the people she personally met or who knew her through her writings or speaking engagements.

On a day in March, 1887, Helen's life changed forever when she met Anne Sullivan, a 20 year-old graduate of the Perkins School for the blind, who had regained her sight through a series of operations. The story of Anne Sullivan working with Helen to turn a rebellious, incoherent child into the magnificent woman she became is a story we are all familiar with. However, I am convinced the story would never have happened if Anne Sullivan did not have one very important character trait. Anne saw Helen for who she could become, not for who she currently was. She saw the potential in Helen, and, holding that picture firmly in her mind, worked tirelessly until Helen became the dynamic human being she became. To paraphrase Goethe, an 18th century philosopher, "Treat a woman as she is, and she will remain as she is. Treat her as she can and should be, and she will become as she can and should be." Anne Sullivan was abl...